LOCAL NEWS
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Business news from in and around East Durham
Small and medium sized food producers from County Durham are snapping up support to get their products to market. The Durham Food and Drink Network is helping producers of all sizes, who are making tasty and distinctive food and drink products but don’t know how to...
Two businesses which are each undergoing a period of significant growth are moving to bigger offices to accommodate their continued expansion. QuickRebates and SSK Recruitment are both based within Novus Business Centre in Peterlee. And as each business has won new...
An event looking at the need to adopt a joined up approach to skills development has taken place. The TTE Technical Institute, which has a facility in Peterlee, has hosted a skills roundtable discussion event together with Policy Connect and the Learning and Work...
A Peterlee training company is helping one of the UK’s largest contract wine bottlers to fully utilise its share of the apprenticeship levy. GEM Training is the long-term partner of County Durham’s Greencroft Bottling Company and is delivering a number of training...
From today, the government’s major Making Tax Digital programme becomes law for over one million VAT registered businesses earning over £85,000. The new rules, first announced in 2015, will mean most businesses above the VAT threshold will need to keep their records...
An experienced design engineer is utilising waste glass and gin bottles to diversify his business into the arts and crafts retail market. Jim Box, Managing Director of Peterlee-based Be Smart Solutions, saw a gap in the market to customise discarded glass bottles...
Businesses from across the region came together to share plans for growth, despite the current economic uncertainty. The Peterlee and Seaham business park groups held their first Network with your Neighbour event of 2019 at Seaham Hall Hotel and Serenity Spa this...
The TTE Technical Institute has rebranded its County Durham training facility, following its acquisition last year, as part of the continued growth of its portfolio of services to industry. The Peterlee-based facility, formerly Infinite Learning and Development (ILD),...
Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) has been confirmed as a new affiliate partner, and preferred energy supplier, for the Engineering and Manufacturing Network (EMN). The Seaham-based business savings company replaces Utilitywise, which entered administration earlier...
Companies across County Durham are being encouraged to sign up for the final phase of a unique exhibition programme. The Incubator Zone is a support strand of Business Durham’s Durham Business Opportunities Programme (DBOP), created to help new and growing micro and...
Teesside based global manufacturing company Venator is offering 40 grants of £250 to schools, colleges, groups and other organisations in the North East that encourage learning in STEM subjects of science, engineering, technology and maths. The £10,000 Bright Ideas...
Sixteen young people are in the driving seat towards career within the automotive industry as they continue on their apprenticeship journey. ZF Peterlee is committed to investing in the best talent as part of its plans for long-term growth. To support that, the...
ResQ, the privately owned UK contact centre business, is announcing today that it is recruiting 150 more people to join its site in Seaham. ResQ, established in 2006, employs 1000 staff in Hull and has enjoyed significant year on year growth. It opened its second...
Businesswoman Heather Mills has revealed that the former Walkers Crisps factory she took over to manufacture her range of plant-based foods in Peterlee will be open for business within the next three months. The entrepreneur has tapped into the fast-growing vegan food...
GEM Partnership has announced a key appointment which will enhance the services it offers clients, providing them with a single solution to their recruitment and training needs. Alison Golsworthy-Miller joins the company as Business Development Consultant with over 25...
A Peterlee contact centre has emerged triumphant from the region's leading industry awards. Market leading insurance services business Auxillis claimed the title of North East Contact Centre of the Year 2018 (Over 250 seats) at the North East Contact Centre Awards....
A budding entrepreneur from Peterlee has launched his own business with the help of East Durham Business Service – and now counts the organisation as one of his clients. Jonny Golightly has set up THEGO2GROUP after 10 years working as an energy consultant for some of...
A County Durham glass manufacturer is set to boost its turnover by 30 per cent after acquiring its existing property, with the support of Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Part of the United Glass Group Ltd, PLG Glass purchased its 50,000 sq ft Mill Hill premises last...
East Durham business owners looking for funding to help growth, create jobs and develop innovative products and services are being invited to an event that will help companies attract investment. North East Fund, a £120m investment pot delivering significant funding...
A growing North East company has expanded its portfolio of cost-saving services with the launch of a new regional partnership. County Durham’s Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) will now help businesses prepare for a low carbon future by offering the installation of...
Two groups which support the growth and success of the Peterlee and Seaham business park communities have announced a significant new partnership. The Peterlee and Seaham Business Park Groups’ steering committee has secured the services and expertise of Seaham Hall...
Food and drink producers are being given invaluable advice and guidance around food labelling to ensure they’re complying with strict European and UK legislation. Durham Food and Drink Network has organised an event to give micro and small businesses a better...
Figures compiled by The Open University on data analysis in 2018 show that £1.28m paid by employers through the Apprenticeship Levy is languishing unspent. Employers in the region are being encouraged to fully utilise their levy and Peterlee company GEM Training who...
Free training designed to help local companies boost skills and win new work is proving to be the root of success for a County Durham tree cutting business. Rhys Williams, together with his parents Karen and Lee, who run Eden Dene Tree Services from their Peterlee...
Two people are starting the new year off in the best way possible - in secure employment. That’s because founder of The Employability Trust, Bill Marley, offered them both jobs during a live radio interview with BBC Tees’ Breakfast Show. Carl Swindle and Sandra Long...
More than 150 jobs are being created at a North East cost management specialist as it unveils plans to double its workforce in the next year. Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) has already increased staff numbers from 31 to 140 after moving to the Spectrum Business Park...
A North East training and apprenticeships provider has expanded its portfolio after taking on a new key member of staff. Profound Services, based on Peterlee Business Park, has added IT and Social Media apprenticeships to its wide range of training and employment...
A former surveillance trainer and specialist operations cop - who worked on some of the UK’s most dangerous and covert operations - has launched his own company, Orangebox Training Solutions Limited. Simon Corbett started his career as a police constable working for...
Spectrum Business Park welcomes a fast-growing contact centre which will create 1,200 jobs in the region. ResQ employs 670 people at its Hull site which is at full capacity, with their new offices now set up in the North East, they have already begun recruiting. ResQ...
Teesside's premier home event returns to the Riverside stadium next month and hopes to make dreams a reality for North East homeowners. The North East Home Expo gives visitors the opportunity to chat informally with professionals from the build, design and interior...
A North East business has called for more entrepreneurs to look at apprentices as a way of driving their first phases of growth – and is giving its latest intake the keys to the boardroom to prove they have what it takes. As the latest figures from the Skills Funding...
A local human resources expert has spoken out about how the EU referendum could be affecting small businesses and unemployment in County Durham. The EU debate has well and truly taken over the airwaves. Politicians from both sides are hurling conflicting statistics at...
An environmental officer from a Peterlee packaging firm has offered up her top energy efficiency tips to mark World Environment Day. Each year, World Environment Day challenges people across the globe to do something to take care of the earth. To provide inspiration...
Peterlee claims management company, Albany Assistance are proud to announce that two members of their IT team, Richard Arrowsmith and Ryan Towell have completed their IT Professional Level 3 Apprenticeship. The 12 month course has helped cement the knowledge that both...
One of East Durham's biggest companies has been recognised as a top employer for the fifth year running. Certification has been awarded to PepsiCo UK, based on Peterlee Business Park, by The Top Employers Institute, an independent organisation that analyses the...
A North East based training and apprenticeship specialist has appointed a new IT Coordinator as part of an ongoing strategy to broaden its learning portfolio. Profound Services, based on Bracken Hill Business Park in Peterlee, has announced the appointment of Ian...
North East packaging specialist Encore Packaging Solutions has employed a new Group Quality and Environmental Manager following demand from customers for food packaging options. Encore Packaging Solutions and its sister company Encore Envelopes already produce more...
Spectrum Business Park is thrilled to welcome Seaham Safety Services to the park. SSS is one of the UK’s leading Health and Safety Training providers in the construction and manufacturing industries. SSS offer a range of services from NVQ training in the workplace,...
North East engineering and manufacturing will once again come under the national spotlight as plans for this year’s Durham Oktoberfest are announced. The event, which is now in its ninth year, is taking place on Thursday, October 20, at the Xcel Centre in Newton...
A major East Durham employer is celebrating after being named as one of only seven ZF TRW sites globally to have scooped a prestigious health and safety award. ZF TRW Peterlee, which develops and produces active and passive safety systems for vehicle manufacturers...
Two human resources professionals who set up their own businesses within the past two years have been approached by a retiring competitor to take over advice and support services to his clients. Jayne Hart, in Newcastle, and Alison Schreiber, in Durham and Darlington,...
Workers on Peterlee Business Park are being urged to slip into some sneakers for the Midday Mile challenge later this month. Employees from businesses on and around the park are being invited to take part in the lunch-time fitness challenge as part of Workplace Health...
A cost management specialist has hit the significant milestone of helping firms make savings of more than £600,000 so far this year. Following a surge in new business, Great Annual Savings Group (GAS), which launched a suite of six new services in April, has now...
Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) has given its backing to an East Durham school eyeing double success in a national football competition. Two teams from Easington Colliery Primary School have made it through to the English Schools’ Football Association Under-11s...
A North East training and apprenticeships specialist has announced "glowing" reports from watchdogs. Two Profound Group companies, both based on Peterlee Business Park, were inspected by Matrix, Ofsted and the Skills Funding Agency. Northern Care Training (NCT) and...
A receptionist was sent home by her employer for breaking the company's dress policy and not wearing high heels at work. Nicola Thorp, 27, arrived at her office in central London wearing flat shoes, but was told that the company's dress code required her to wear 2-4...
A new grant is allowing an East Durham training provider to offer businesses funding of up to £3,500 when they take on an apprentice. Caterpillar, ZF TRW and NSK Peterlee are among the area's top firms who continuously develop their workforce via apprenticeship...
An award-winning East Durham College student has launched his own business as he sets out to complete his final year of qualifications. Lewis Coils, 20, from Wingate, who earlier this year won first place in the men’s freestyle design category at the national...
The final survey of North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) members ahead of the EU Referendum has reinforced previous results with the majority in favour of remaining in the EU. Of those who responded to the survey 57.3% said they will vote to stay in the EU, with...
There has never been a better time to consider an Apprenticeship. Young people can ‘get in and go far’ with an Apprenticeship at some of Britain’s biggest and brightest companies. You can gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed, in some cases up to degree...
Durham County Council’s energy efficiency expertise has resulted in a £310,000 grant award to work with partners across Europe. As part of the Interreg Europe programme, the funding will see the council work with other authorities across the continent on two energy...
East Durham College’s hairdressing department have been specially commended by one of the sector’s major organisations. East Durham College’s hair department have become one of only two colleges in the country to have a fully registered team by the Hair Council. Ten...
A former Newcastle United footballer who used to stop strikers is now helping his former club prevent fraud. Graeme Carter, from Wheatley Hill in County Durham, arrived at St James’ Park as an apprentice in 1986. The central defender, who also played basketball for...
A member of the European Parliament has visited East Durham College’s Houghall campus to speak with a number of different departments and get a guided tour of the land-based studies college. Paul Brannen MEP, who is one of three North East MEPs, sits on the...
A Peterlee recruitment specialist has been awarded a top international accreditation for the investment it makes in its workforce. GEM Premium People, based on the North West Industrial Estate, has secured the Investors in People award. The award was given to GEM for...
A growing martial arts club has invested in new equipment after receiving a grant from a local councillor. Horden Martial Arts Club was awarded a cheque for £150 from Cllr June Clark, County Councillor for Horden under the Members’ Initiative Scheme. The money was...
Continental Chef Supplies & NECTA’s hunt for the North East’s Future Chef 2016 came to an end last week, with student Lee McKinnell taking the crown at the annual NECTA Hospitality Salon. The Level 3 Gateshead college student was mentored by professional chefs at...
Durham Cathedral has been recognised for its work to promote healthy living among employees by the North East Better Health at Work Award. The Cathedral was awarded a Silver Award for the work it is doing to promote not only a healthy workplace but also offering...
Bidex Energy Auction, the Peterlee based business energy auction specialists, continue their rapid growth as more and more companies make enquiries about using their innovative energy auction system. Established in 2015, the company has a high tech approach that uses...
A Seaham-based cost management specialist has strengthened its management team with the appointment of an experienced recruitment specialist. Victoria Walton has joined Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) as head of resource and talent after spending almost 20 years...
A TRAINING company which has helped to upskill hundreds of employees has celebrated its 10th birthday. TACS Ltd (Training, Assessment and Consultancy Services) was one of the first firms to take up tenancy in Novus Business Centre, which is managed by East Durham...
North East training provider Springboard, who has a centre in Peterlee, is celebrating after being rated ‘Good’ in every area in their recent OFSTED Inspection. Katie Bulmer Cooke, patron of Springboard, is pictured celebrating with Springboard learners. Katie said...
Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) has teamed up with a local sporting club to develop the next generation of boxing talent. The Seaham-based cost management specialist has made a cash donation to Houghton and District Fitness and Youth Boxing Club, which is open to...
As the academic year enters its last term, the Apollo Studio Academy in Peterlee has seen its innovative approach to learning coming out on top. As pass rates climb, the first groups of Year 13 students to complete their studies at the new school are now being made...
A Teenager is proving he has the drive to succeed as a mechanic after winning an apprenticeship at an established garage. Student Jamie Fisher started a work placement at Peterlee Business Park’s Automotive Solutions, in Pease Road, as part of his college course. And...
Students from colleges across the region had chance to meet with local hospitality sponsors, suppliers and businesses at the first NECTA Future Chef Launch 2016, sponsored by Continental Chef Supplies. The event was an informal chance for the student finalists from...
Up to 6,000 young people are to benefit after Durham County Council secured £17m to help them on their pathway to employment. In June 2015, the authority submitted a bid for £17.04m funding through the European Council’s Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). And now the...
The community which inspired the classical tale of Billy Elliot has been handed a cash windfall of almost £60,000. Audiences in London's West End have raised the enormous cash sum for The East Durham Trust. Newcastle writer Lee Hall, who wrote the film and...
Four young men have been thrown an employment lifeline by NSK Peterlee after losing their previous placements in the closure of SSI. Shaun O’Leary, 19, James Fish, 19, Ryan Hartshorn, 20, and Callum Gaines, 19, were four out of 50 apprentices to lose their...
The North East Culinary Trade Association (NECTA) and Continental Chef Supplies are inviting students from colleges around the region to take part in NECTA Future Chef of the Year 2016. Additionally, for the first time in NECTA Future Chef history and following an...
A Peterlee businesswoman has been named one of the North East’s top young entrepreneurs in a list compiled by a regional newspaper. Bethany Ainsley, founder and CEO of Nouveau Dance and Fitness based at Novus Business Centre on Peterlee Business Park, made The...
Since its launch three-and-a-half years ago, The Employability Trust, has given paid employment to 71 people. The trust itself employs eight full time staff including two warehousing apprentices. Melissa Hammond was the trust’s first candidate and has just taken on a...
An alternative fuel provider has sealed a green deal to export 100,000 tonnes of UK waste to Scandinavia as part of a three-year deal. PROBIO Energy, based in Hartlepool, has struck the landfill-diverting contract with a company called Newport Paper, with bales of...
A Peterlee electronics manufacturer has become one of the first companies to support a new local education model by giving a local youngster his first step into the world of work. 18 year old Dan Salmon of Peterlee is starting out on his working career with Seaward...
Challenges and opportunities within County Durham’s engineering and manufacturing industries will be the themes at a support organisation’s inaugural economic forum this week. The County Durham Engineering and Manufacturing Network (CDEMN) has been created to support...
A former East Durham College joinery student has returned to the college to share his success story with students. Phillip Breeze, 33, from Haswell, studied carpentry and joinery at the college in 2010. Once leaving the college he spent a year in the trade gaining...
A graduate from Cleveland College of Art and Design (CCAD) has impressed business leader and former Dragon’s Den star, Theo Paphitis with the launch of her new online fashion retail website. 24-year-old Claudette Cooling from Stockton-on-Tees has created her own...
North East-based Encore Packaging Solutions has been helping national paint brand Rust-Oleum to ensure deliveries of its product samples are boxing clever. The packaging firm based in Peterlee was appointed by Rust-Oleum to produce a series of eye-catching branded...
Business start-up Full Circle North East which was launched earlier this year by cousins Leanne Knight and Kirsty Campbell has provided business support to entrepreneur fishmonger Joel Dodds in his quest to open up a fishmonger shop in County Durham. J Dodds Fresh...
A Peterlee-based charity boss has launched a new business that aims to take the strain away from other local businesses. UK.Solutions, the commercial arm of The Employability Trust, will provide on-demand resourcing including manufacturing, warehousing and fulfillment...
Having completed a search for a nominated local charity for 2016, Peterlee based Albany Assistance has announced its decision. The firm will raise money throughout the year for Hartlepool and District Hospice. To mark the announcement, and coinciding with Hartlepool...
A Teesdale foodie who is a self-declared ‘slave to gingerbread’ will be showcasing her ‘Gingers of the North’ and ‘Ginger Ninjas’ at this year’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival (BAFF) next month. Carol Cowie who bakes at her farm near Hamsterley admits to cooking from...
Maternity discrimination is one of the big ones to avoid for UK employers. It can lead to huge pay outs in tribunals, cause upset and stress and lead to reputational damage. Whilst many instances of such discrimination are fairly obvious, the issue of childcare...
East Durham College’s hair and beauty department have returned from the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists (AHT) Awards 2016 in Blackpool with three top places. Level 3 barbering student Lewis Coils, 20, from Wingate picked up first place in the Men’s Creative...
A cost management specialist has announced the launch of six new services as it embarks on its next phase of growth. Seaham-based Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) currently helps businesses reduce their variable costs and save money in a range of areas including...
Over 80 members of the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) heard Durham County Council’s newly-appointed Chief Executive pledge to do his best to award contracts to County Durham businesses whenever possible. Terry Collins was addressing the NECC’s County Durham AGM...
Hundreds of young people are getting the chance of well-paid apprenticeships and jobs in the construction industry as a company founder expands his training arm in Teesside and County Durham with help from UK Steel Enterprise. Steve Willis, who started Brickwork...
A plastics firm which has ambitions to export to Australia has recruited its first apprentice to support its growing business. Lewis Scarr has started his career at Primex Plastics, at Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, by taking a Commercial...
The wild rise and crazy fall of the 'dotcom' dream will be one of the subjects of a talk given by an award-winning author and journalist when he visits Durham later this month. Andrew Smith will be speaking to pupils at Framwellgate School, in Durham, about the rise...
A training company is creating jobs as it expands into Yorkshire. KF Training, based in Peterlee, east Durham, has secured a number of deals in the county. The business, founded by Kelly Lee in 2011, employs more than 50 people and provides training across areas such...
Encore Packaging Solutions has invested £250,000 in new kit from Bobst as it moves forward with its plans to boost production at its Peterlee manufacturing site. The North East-based firm, which recently relocated its new factory and warehouse facilities, has...
A talented student studying for her A-levels at East Durham College’s Sixth Form (ED6) has just won a highly credible third place in a national photography competition. Megan Ogden, 16, from Shotton Colliery, who is studying photography, fine art and psychology at ED6...
An East Durham entrepreneur is delighted to have expanded his business further – with the opening of a new showroom and plans to boost turnover to £1.5m next year. Phil Mordey, from Thornley, is the managing director of The Bathroom Cladding Centre which already has a...
One very lucky East Durham College student has just had the amazing opportunity to work on BBC1’s The Big Questions when it was recently filmed in the North East. Level 2 Media Diploma student Conner Walker, 17, from Peterlee, got to work alongside production...
A prototype specialist is embarking on the next phase of its expansion by putting its entire workforce through an extensive training programme. Paragon Rapid Technologies recently completed a two-year growth plan which saw turnover rise from £2.8m to £4.1m and staff...
A leading North East metal recycling specialist is committing significant investment as it continues to diversify and expand into overseas markets. J Denham Metals Ltd - which has sites based in both Wingate, East Durham, and Bishop Auckland - is already cementing...
A leading mailing house has held its first ever health roadshow for its workforce. Metromail held the Health and Wellbeing Roadshow at its premises off Admirality Way, in Seaham, as part of the North East Better Health at Work Award. A string of health-related...
East Durham College has launched an exciting new short course in floristry, aimed at showing you some great tips and tricks to get the most out of flowers around your home. The Flowers for the Home course runs over three evenings and is designed for anyone interested...
One of the UK’s leading manufacturers and international distributors of bearings, power transmission and motion transfer linkage products is expanding into the North East following a £2.2m investment. Dunlop BTL, which is based in Ashford, Kent, has been awarded a...
North East-based Encore has strengthened its packaging division with the appointment of a new senior account manager after relocating production to its new 73,000 sq. ft. Peterlee site. Ian Bailey, 44, joins Encore Packaging Solutions’ sales team from Tyne Tees...
The Ramside Hall Hotel & Golf Club is set to make a six-figure saving on its energy bills after forging an alliance with a cost management specialist. Nine months ago the prestigious leisure venue entered a three-year contract with Great Annual Savings Group (GAS)...
A young entrepreneur is setting his sights on further global growth after seeing his business crack the U.S. market. Matt Parks from Peterlee, set up independent travel comparison site 1Plus2Travel, in August 2013 – and now boasts 2.2m users from around the world each...